biotin

Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy Forums

Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy forums - a peer support community for folks dealing (directly or indirectly) with seizure disorders. You can visit the forum page to see the list of forum nodes (categories/rooms) for topics.

Please have a look around and if you like what you see, please consider registering an account and joining the discussions. When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no ads, access to members only (ie. private) forum nodes and more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!

Messages
622
Reaction score
0
Points
0
i have been reccomended supplement biotin by a few people, i did try this when on horrid keppra and it didnt work, im no longer on keppra and my hair, eyelashes and eyebrows are still falling out, does biotin actually work? if so how many supplements do i take a day?
 
I actually just started taking biotin to see if it would help with the hair loss. I've only been taking it a week now, so maybe it's too early to tell, but so far it's still falling out in gobs. Hope I have better news for you in a month or so. I know this supplement got some good reviews on Amazon, but a lot of the reviewers said they noticed a difference in a month (hair growth, nail growth, etc...), and somehow I find it hard to believe that one could notice an increase in hair growth or nail growth/strength in a month.
 
Last edited:
Thanx. I hope it works for you. I really dont know what ti do. I was reccomended spinach as its full of iron. Ive been off keppra a month nw and my hair co.es out loads wen i brush it touch it and wash it. My eyebrows and eyelashes aswell.
 
My eyelashes have thinned too, and my hair is like yours...gobs of hair in the shower drain and in my brush.

My eyebrows? I have a different issue with my eyebrows which has improved since starting Lamictal, so I know now that this was related to seizure activity somehow...how? I don't know. For years before my seizures were diagnosed, strands of eyebrow hairs began growing far below my brow line, some almost to my upper eyelid. The left side was much worse than the right, though this was occurring on both sides. I had to pluck these out daily because they grew rather fast too. But my seizures began as right-sided seizures, at least until they began to generalize, so I definitely believe both hair loss and hair growth can be related to seizure activity and that this eyebrow growth issue was likely related.

Good luck though. I'll let you know if I notice any difference on the biotin.
 
My hair was ok until i started taking keppra. And im sick of it. I have heard it stops fallin out and grow back normal after i stop talking it.
 
I've started on Biotin also. We'll see what it does or doesn't do for me.

Here's some dosage info from seemingly reputable sources.

The NIH (National Institute of Health) says there isn't an RDA established, but the AI (adequate intake) is. That's not the maximum, more like the minimum.
30 mcg for adults over 18 years
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/313.html


Here's a link on side effects at a higher dosage:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/353466-side-effects-of-biotin-5000-mg/
 
I too have started with the hair coming out.

Being on dilantin, it causes facial hair growth--in all the wrong places.

My eyelashes are becoming thinner each day, I would like to find something to help in this area also.
 
Aww no bless ya. These meds are ridiculous arent they? they havent checked em properly i dont think. I hope ya gwt sorted too. I was reccomended to try spinach with garlic its quite nive. Il let ya k w if it works and if i find anythin else that helps me. Chin up. Ano its hard n it sucks big tume. I feel so low when i see how much hair comes.out. Um too scared to brush and wash my hair. I keep getting tokd im paranoid.
 
Have either of you had your doctor test your vitamin D levels? It's not part of the normal blood panels so your doc would need to specifically order it. Some AEDs can really lower vitamin D. I forget what AED I was on at the time, but it made mine low at one point.



Low D can cause:
  • bad hair
  • bad nails that are thin and break easily
  • bone density problems and bones breaking
  • tooth problems
  • some neurological and nerve disorders
  • hair falling out. (At least it did me.)
  • Heart and blood vessel disease
  • Autoimmune diseases, in which the immune system attacks the body's own cells
  • Cancer
  • Infections
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Obesity
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/24479/36146/1371379.html?d=dmtContent

D is fat-soluable which means you can overdose and go toxic on the stuff so take it with your doctor's help. There's a reason high-dosage D is prescription only, and is usually used just for a little while.

I was on prescription-strenth D for about 6 months to catch up to normal. When the D got back up there, my hair and nails grew like crazy, and my nails were strong as iron, and my bones quit hurting. Now that my D is okay, why is my hair falling out again, my nails breaking, and the bone pains back??? Maybe I need the D tested again. It's been 6 months since it was last tested and it was low normal, doctor says it only needs to be tested once a year. So I'm 6 more months away. Still trying the Biotin, and making sure there is D in my multiple vitamins.
 
Last edited:
How did ya find out it was ya vit d? my neuro wont listen to me or my doc or any1. my hair is falli.g out loads bt the doc says am paranoid. But ya knw yaself wen something in ya body aint rihht. Im gna demand i see a dermatoligist tmra.
 
Mine checked my D just to be on the safe side because my bones hurt. Hair, nails, and teeth were a problem but didn't come up in conversation. She didn't think it was D but wanted to cross it off the list. Turned out it was the D after all.

If hair is it and nothing else, then it is much less likely that it is D. Or maybe he could just tack it onto your next bloodwork. No extra stick, just an extra vial.
 
Last edited:
The doc checked my bloods and they came back normal. My skin has become bad really itchy n av developed spots on the back of my kneck and the left side of my face above my eye they are qite itchy to. My neuro or doc will mt do anymore test to help me. Im seeing the epilepsy nurse tommorow am gonna demand this gets sorted as i have reallyhad enough. None of my friends want to know or help me. Im gonba ask to see a dermatoligist. M gna mention the d vitamin aswell.
 
doc has to specifically order D. it isn't part of the regular blood panels. easy to tack onto another sample of blood that's for another reason
 
Keppra and Hair

UGH!!! Crazy Keppra. About 2 years ago I went through the same thing with Keppra and my hair was falling out in clumps. I ended up going to the dermatologist and was diagnosed with Alopecia, which is in and of itself a whole other problem. However, since we knew the meds was causing the Alopecia this was good news since eliminating the drug would eliminate the hair loss. I ended up having to get steroid shots in my head in the 6-7 bald patches I now had due to Kep. I went 2x to see the dermatologist for the shots and stopped taking the Keppra and the hair loss did stop and my hair has since grown back. However, I'm not taking any medications (doing the Gluten Free diet) but I've had trouble in the past with Keppra and Lamictal when it comes to loss of hair. Lamictal had my hair shedding and thinning out while Keppra it came out in clumps.

I'm sorry as I know how scary and depressing it can be, but I suggest you see the dermatologist, discuss this with your neuro and take all your vitamins. Good luck and once everything gets straightened out your hair WILL GROW BACK!!!
 
Tjanx. I have been took off all meds altogethee now been off a month but my hair is still comi.g out.
 
i've been taking biotin for about 6 months now ( the doctor reccomended it after my hair started falling out ) she also found that my vit d levels were extremely low , so she started me on prescription vit d ( i think 50,000 IU ) but i couldnt handle it so i started taking 5,000 IU OTC and i've been able to deal with that , and so far it's only gotten worse for me , i dont know what else i can do but i hope we figure it out soon or im going to be bald ( also i have blonde hair and it's turning realllly black about 1/2 way down and a little at the roots , and it did this quickly so i dont think this is just my hair darkening like alot of peoples do throughout life ) i've been to several salons and they say theyre lost as to why it's doing that i dont dye , perm or do anything to my hair , i get it cut on a regular basis i dont use any products in it other than shampoo & conditioner , i only wash it every other day etc .... is anybody else having trouble w/their hair darkening too ?
 
Mines gettin lighter atm. But ive been off keppra a month my hair is still fallin out just nt as much. Biotin did nothin for me wen i was on the keppra. Im hoping my hair sorts itself out. I hope u get yours sorted to ladybug.
 
Back
Top Bottom